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Post by Twilight Sparkle on Jan 8, 2023 17:22:27 GMT -5
I wanted to put characters instead of cats, but it didn't fit in the title lol.
Anyway, when you relate to a character, does this make them automatically more likable for you?
I had Blossomfall in mind when I made this thread. I remember initially disliking her for being a bully to Ivypaw and just being whiny in general. But now that I can relate to her, with her problems of feeling neglected, overlooked, unfavored along with her feelings of jealousy, insecurity, and the way she'll never be good enough, so she turns to darker things, even while acknowledging her own lack of wisdom, I like her.
Her arc resounds with me. I feel so sorry for her since I've been there. Her words could be taken from my own mouth. This connection with her makes me instinctively defend her and take her side when Blossomfall vs Millie debates pop up.
Yet if I hadn't been able to relate to her, would I still have liked her? I honestly don't know. Probably not as much as I do now.
Anyway, are there any characters you feel you wouldn't have liked as much if you hadn't been able to relate to them? Or are there any characters you relate to but still don't like?
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Post by Saint Ambrosef on Jan 8, 2023 17:42:57 GMT -5
Maybe this is why I don’t really “like” most characters in Warriors? I find most of them either too emotional or too dumb and have a hard time relating to any of them.
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Post by 𝐛𝐥𝟒𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐥 on Jan 8, 2023 17:45:19 GMT -5
Hell no. I heavily relate to both Hollyleaf and Crowfeather and I hate both of them. Not sure what that says about myself.
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Post by Jaysnow on Jan 9, 2023 1:29:29 GMT -5
I'm not sure if I truly relate to Jayfeather aside from a mutual sense of sarcasm. We're quite different. I just like him because he's entertaining and well-written.
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Bisexual
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BҽɾɾყႦʅσσɱ
Villain Enjoyer
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Post by BҽɾɾყႦʅσσɱ on Jan 9, 2023 5:07:47 GMT -5
Sometimes but not always.
For example, I relate a lot to Breezepelt in the sense that I too had an overall more absent father (who some might even perceive as neglectful in the sense that he also was not interested in my emotional needs as a child/teen and never comforted me or really cared that much) while my mother was thus seen as overbearing, overly controlling and overprotective in comparison (even though she was basically cancelling out my dad's shortcomings in that regard just like I think Nightcloud was trying to be there for Breezepelt when Crowfeather was mostly not).
That being said, while I relate to Breezepelt in that sense from that era in his life specifically, he was not likeable to me in the sense of his actions towards others during PoT/OotS. Of course, there was an explanation to his behaviour, But his upbringing is not an excuse for how he acted. It does make sense for him as a character though. And I do genuinely like Breezepelt these days (same with his mom Nightcloud and dad Crowfeather).
So yeah, relatable characters can be likeable cats at the same time but not always/not all the time, if that makes any sense. And they don't have to be either.
Another example would be Nightheart for me. Whom I relate to in terms of me having previously been a teen/young adult with anger and trust issues who constantly lashed out at others and did not feel valued by them. And while I do relate to and like Nightheart in that regard, I'm also hoping that his attitude will improve (just like mine did) and he will learn to eventually accept himself and also mend his relationships with others (specifically/especially with his mother Sparkpelt, sister Finchlight and maternal grandmother Squirrelflight).
Sorry about the rambling. Just had some thoughts.
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Post by Ivyfalcon on Jan 9, 2023 17:18:44 GMT -5
The Venn diagram of cats I relate most to and my favorite characters is a circle. I would probably like them all less if I didn’t relate to them (they wouldn’t be my favorites), but I doubt I’d dislike them either. I guess either I can’t relate to cats I find annoying or dislikable, or I can’t dislike cats I relate to.
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Post by Rainfire on Jan 9, 2023 22:31:05 GMT -5
It usually does(Dovewing is my favorite character because I relate to her so much), but way more often, I love characters who aren't like me because I think it's so fun reading about characters who think differently than me and do things that I normally wouldn't do. Squirrelflight, Hollyleaf, Needletail, Star Flower, Clear Sky, etc. are all very unlike me in most aspects, but they're all some of my top favs.
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Post by dahliadove - #1 nightpelt fan on Jan 10, 2023 3:46:14 GMT -5
Good question. For me, yes. I relate a lot to Blossomfall, Frostpaw, and Nightstar. There are others, but those are the main three. I like all three of them. I don't struggle with self esteem issues very much, so I guess a character that might share the same experiences (as bizarre as that sounds when talking about a cat), relationships or personality traits, helps me to like the character more. Like Nightstar. Never payed much attention to him, heavily disliked him in the first arc. But when reading Exile from ShadowClan, I liked his backstory a lot and empathized with his struggles. I related to some of his experiences and in turn, grew to understand his bizarre shift in personality from Yellowfang's Secret to Exile from ShadowClan, to The Prophecies Begin, and ended up liking him in the first arc instead of hating him.
Got off topic there but yes, I do find it that I can like a character more if I relate to them.
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Post by Flamefrost on Jan 10, 2023 8:01:06 GMT -5
I used to but now I find characters completely different to me to be more interesting as I enjoy exploring different perspectives. I don't want to read my thoughts or how I would personally react to issues because I can figure that out myself. I'd much rather read how someone else would reach their conclusion. Much more so for PoV characters than background ones.
Like, I liked Onestars Confession solely because it was so entertaining to read the thought process of one of the most cowardly characters in the series. I don't agree with anything he did, but it kept the book fun imo. I also really like Nightheart.
In fact, I'd say it's what made me like Firestar in the first series. He is a very stubborn and quite dense fella and I heavily disagree with how we handled a lot of stuff, but it was so interesting and made him feel like a real character and not just a POV camera for the reader.
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